Now that you're armed with knowledge about Beltane's history, lore, and deities, I'll bet you're ready to spread your witchy wings and fly in your own ritual to celebrate the Sabbat. I know I am! Being stuck inside all winter has made me a bit randy, and I'm looking forward to the bonfires, maypoles, and other trappings that come with Beltane conviviality.
In addition to these customs, Beltane is also a popular time of year for handfastings, which I'll explain a bit later. To that extent, I'd like to wish my good friend Evita over at The Happy Heathen a very blessed and joyous wedding anniversary! Their handfasting was absolutely beautiful. Evita, I wish you and your amazing partner a life of love, happiness, and celebration. :)
Now... let's get to the fun stuff! (As if sex wasn't enough, right?)
A Group Beltane Bonfire Rite
Beltane is actually celebrated from sunset on May Day eve through sunset on May Day, and the festivities kick off with a pile of nine sacred woods set aflame and danced around all night. It is customary to keep the fires burning all through this Sabbat, with a piece of smoldering wood taken home by each person to ensure fertility through the summer months.
If you don't have the space for a huge bonfire (and many of us don't -- I know we can't fit one in our own yard), a small fire bowl, typically available at home improvement chains and discount stores, or a tabletop brazier will suffice. Need something smaller? Look to building a small fire in a cauldron or other heat-resistant bowl.
This is a group rite, so you'll need a few friends to participate as the person to tend to the bonfire (which should be set up and blazing beforehand), the May Queen*, the King of the Forest*, and drummers and other noisemakers. You may also want a crown of flowers and headdress of antlers for each female and male participating (optional, but definitely fun! If you want to make your own flower crowns, refer to our guide).
* Depending on the relationship between May Queen and the King of the Forest, this can get as lusty as you like. Take heed that the presence of children will mean having to tone it down a bit!
(Thank you to About.com for this ritual!)
Beltane Bonfire Ritual
Have the group circle around the fire, with the May Queen and the King of the Forest on opposite sides.The High Priest (HP) and/or High Priestess (HPs) should welcome everyone to the circle:
Beltane is here! It is a time when the earth is fertile and full.
Long ago, our ancestors planted their fields at Beltane.
The fields that lay fallow for months are now warm and waiting.
The soil that was dormant for the winter now begs us to plant our seeds.
The earth is awakening and ripe, and this is a season of love and passion.
It is a season of fire.
At this point, if the fire is not already lit, the fire starter should begin lighting it. If it is, have the fire starter stoke the flames a bit as the HP/s continues:
As our fires grow, lighting up the night sky, the fire within us grows stronger.
It is the fire of lust and passion, knowing that like the earth, we too are fertile.
Tonight, the God emerges from the forest. He is known by many names --
He is Pan, Herne, Cernunnos, the Green Man. He is the God of the Forest.
Tonight is the night he will chase and capture the maiden.
She is the Queen of May, Aphrodite, Venus, Cerridwen.
She is the Goddess of fields and flowers, she is Mother Earth herself.
As the HP/s introduces the God and Goddess, they should each step forward in the circle. The HP/s then says, Bring fertility to the land! Let the hunt begin!
The May Queen and the God of the Forest begin a chase, traveling deosil (sunwise, "clockwise") around the circle, weaving in and out of the other participants, who are drumming and making noise, possibly even chanting, slowly at first then with more ferocity. Remember that the May Queen really wants to make love to the God of the Forest, she's just playing hard to get. This is a fun chase and a joyful courtship, not a mock rape. They should travel around the circle three times, then finally stop at a point in front of the bonfire, which should be blazing by now, and the drumming, noisemaking, and chanting comes to an abrupt stop.
The HP/s says:
Fire and passion, love and life, brought together as one.
At this point, the May Queen says to the God of the Forest:
I am the earth, the womb of all creation.
Within me, new life grows each year.
Water is my blood, air is by breath, and fire is my spirit.
I give you honor, and shall create new life with you.
The God of the Forest replies to her, saying:
I am the rutting stag, the seed, the energy of life.
I am the mighty oak that grows in the forest.
I give you honor, and shall create new life with you.
The couple then kisses, long and passionate. If they're feeling particularly lusty, they can fall to the ground and roll about for a while, and a participant may want to cover them with a blanket. This is the symbolic union of the male and female spirit, the great rite between man and woman. Once the embrace is broken, the HP/s calls out:
The earth is once more growing new life within! We shall be blessed with abundance this year!
Everyone in the circle then claps and cheers, celebrating the heartiness of the crops and strong livestock for the year. Celebrate by dancing around the bonfire, drumming and singing! When you're ready, end the ritual per your traditions.
The Maypole Dance
As discussed before, the maypole is a very traditional part of Beltane and any other fertility celebration; as a symbol, the phallus that is the maypole driven into the earth symbolizes the joining of the male and female. The morning after the bonfire rite, as couples (and perhaps a few other surprise couplings and triads!) rub the sleep from their eyes and the straw out of their hair after a night of lustiness inspired by the roaring fires, people would gather to begin the maypole celebrations.
( Once again, thank you to About.com for this ritual!)
A maypole is typically erected on the village green or common, or even a handy field. Most groups rent out or own a big field where they put their maypole for Beltane, and switch it out depending on the Sabbat. The maypole should have ribbons attached to the top, about 1/3 more length than the pole itself (i.e. a 15-foot pole should have about 20 feet of ribbon). Young people dance around the pole, each holding a different ribbon and with the men and women going in different directions, weaving in and out of one another until the pole is enveloped with brightly-colored ribbons.
You will need a wooden pole about 18 feet high, a hole in the ground at least 3 feet deep, lots of ribbon for your guests, a crown of flowers for the top of the pole, and people who like to have fun! Ask each participant to bring their own ribbon, in fact -- make sure they're about 20 feet long for this.
Once everyone arrives, affix the flower crown to the top of the pole, then attach the ribbons to one end of the pole (an eyelet screw is the easiest by far). Have extra ribbon on hand just in case. When the ribbons are attached, raise the pole until it's vertical, and slide it into the hole.
... yeah, y'all thought it. No worries, bawdy jokes are more than okay. ;)
Pack in the dirt around the base so the pole won't shift or fall during the dance. Have people count off by twos (especially handy if you have an uneven number of men to women), and have the ones go deosil while the twos go widdershins. Hold the ribbon in the hand closest to the pole, and start dancing!
You'll want to pass people by on the left first, then on the right, and again and again. Practice once or twice before doing it for real, then get going! Make sure you hold the ribbon high enough that the person you're weaving by can get under. Continue until everyone runs out of ribbon, then knot all the ribbons at the bottom.
Kids' maypoles are fun, too, but they might not get the hang of the weaving thing as feasibly. It's probably easier to have them all go in one direction.
[...] Bonfire and Maypole Celebrations [...]
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